A video of a supposed "concerned parent" ranting against critical race theory during an Illinois school board meeting recently went viral on Twitter.
Right-wing news outlet Daily Caller tweeted out the video along with the caption, "An Illinois parent rips into Critical Race Theory at a school board meeting."
'How Do I Have Two Medical Degrees If I'm Oppressed'
In the clip, the parent identified as Ty Smith says critical race theory will "teach kids how to hate each other." "It's pretty much what it's all gonna come down to," Smith says. "You're going to deliberately teach kids 'this white kid right here got it better than you because he's white' and you're gonna tell a white kid 'the black people are all down and suppressed. How do I have two medical degrees if I'm sitting here oppressed?
Watch the clip below:
The video instantly went viral with more than 3 million views and received approval from right-wing social media users, including Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene.
Who is Ty Smith?
Although Smith has been described as a concerned parent in the Daily Caller video, internet sleuths were quick to point out that he might be related to conservative commentator Candace Owens. One Twitter user shared a screenshot of an Instagram post in which Smith refers to Owens as his "sister" and himself as her "crazy brother."
That screenshot was taken from an October 12, 2020, Instagram post by Smith shared on his account @m0dernrenaissanceman. The post shows Smith and Owens at an outdoor event location tagged to the White House:
On the same day, Smith shared a very similar photo with Owens. In the post's caption, Smith refers to her as "his 'little sis,'" implying that they are not actually related and possibly just share a close relationship. Moreover, Owens was raised by her grandparents in Stamford, Connecticut, while Smith is originally from Decatur, Georgia.
Other users drew attention to the fact that Smith is actually a conservative radio talk show host and has his own conservative-leaning YouTube channel called "Modern Renaissance Man," which has more than 162,000 subscribers.
"Ummm, that's the famous conservative youtuber modern renaissance man. Interesting how the right wing media is trying to pass this guy off as some random concern parent. I bet this is a publicity stunt for youtube channel," wrote one user, while another commented, "He's a conservative YouTuber who pushes political points on his channel, not just some "parent."
Here are some of the reactions:
